Category Archives: Bedfordshire

I read a great deal of crime, although my choice of reading is an eclectic mix, including historical fiction, humour and even romance to a lesser degree. I prefer romance as a part of life rather than per se.

Sometimes I find the harsh world in much crime fiction difficult to read; the graphic, gory descriptions, the hard language – a world where swearing is in every sentence. My writing isn’t like that, not out of choice but because I can’t be true to myself and be absorbed in a world that is inherently evil at every turn. To write a novel you have to ‘live’ the world you are imagining for months. I could not do that.

So, what inspired me to write a murder mystery?

Ordinary people can be murderers – right or wrong?

I was inspired by an unsolved murder of a young lass from the island of Jersey back in 1919 in the village nearby where I lived in Bedfordshire. The mystery surrounding her death intrigued me and the more I researched the stronger the ideas formed in my mind of ordinary people being accused of murder ~ how a murderer might be your spouse, your child, your friend or neighbour. They just need a strong enough motive, which may be triggered at any time in life, or it may be a spontaneous act – unpremeditated.

Suspects may have no obvious motive

The next thing that caught my imagination was that people may become suspects even though they have no obvious motive – being in the wrong place at the wrong time or leaving traces at the scene of the crime.

Proving yourself innocent has always been difficult

It was fun writing two parallel murder mysteries in 1919 and 2019. Weaving the suspects into the plot and linking those from the twentieth century murder to the one in 2019 led to a few sleepless nights ~ although I did solve a few plot twists and turns in my sleep! My interest in family history came into play here.

The sins of the fathers …

Is it difficult for families to shed the shame of a member accused of murder. Is it likely or even possible that the gene which leads a person to murder can be passed on through the generations? I didn’t answer this one, but it was in my mind when writing.

Evil has a way of being found out

Even a century later evil can be uncovered ~ or can it?

Many are hooked on Family Intrigues

However hard a family may try to suppress its secrets, this intrigue feeds on the curiosity of an individual to find out the truth. This in turn may become an unhealthy obsession.

Now you know what triggered my Murder Mystery. You also know what my writing is not like. If you’d like to find out more then:

Available on Kindle

‘Murder Now and Then’ will be free on Kindle

from Monday 10th July to Friday 14th July

If you do read it and enjoy it, I would be grateful of you could leave an honest review.

The following guest post has been received from Bedford Creative Arts. The post highlights how libraries and arts can collaborate successfully and provide a powerful and positive experience for users. Library as Laboratory – How can Libraries exist in the future? Bedford Creative Arts has been exploring new ways that libraries can evolve for the future by bringing […]

It has taken me all of fifteen months to finally get around to buying a proper computer chair since moving to Fife. I’ve been managing on a wooden kitchen chair which is hardly conducive for sitting at a computer screen for very long. I’ve had fun playing with the height and tilt this morning!

I began writing again spasmodically just before Christmas and I’ve been working on a few projects for myself and other writers, but this certainly feels the moment of arrival and a time to celebrate.

This is the only room we’ve decorated and furnished here, so I’m chuffed to be up and running at last. Mind you, since moving to Fife, I’ve tried to work on the premise that every event has its own timing. Rush it at our peril.

I’d like to thank DOS Office Supplies in Dalgety Bay, just along the coast from us towards North Queensferry. I’d much rather pop into a place like that and try a chair out than order it over the internet.

My writing space is more functional than my room down south in Bedfordshire but, even on a dull day like today, the view over The Forth to Edinburgh is quite special and I feel truly blessed.